God Tweens and Teens? Try a Family Holy Hour

Amanda Woodiel offers a free printable guide for a family Holy Hour, tailored for tweens, teens, and adults. There's even a Spanish version available!

My parenting life has morphed the last couple of years. No longer do I have a houseful of littles, whose behavior I can correct and teach in a casual, offhand way and hear a little voice reply, “Sorry, Mommy!”

Now I have tweens and especially teens, to whom a casual correction can amount in their minds to a major criticism — depending on the hormones and the day. It’s not worse — just different. I have to consider how my words come across, whether I’m harping on the wrong thing, and (to my dismay) whether I myself do the very same thing I’m correcting. A little goes a long way at this age. It’s more about building the relationship, listening well, and a few smattered “I wonder if” statements.

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Try a Family Holy Hour

This is somewhat of a parenting minefield. Of course, I do still correct and guide, but I’m smart enough to realize that Jesus can do it much better than I. We don’t do a Holy Hour as a family often enough, but when we have, I’ve often thought: “I hope this one (a teen) will think about how he uses his words with his younger siblings,” and “Maybe she’ll (a tween) realize that her attitude has been on the ungrateful side lately.” As we walk inside the church, I think, “Come on, Jesus! Do your thing! Do unto them as you do unto me at my Holy Hours!"

Then it dawned on me: how wonderful would it be if there were an (optional) theme for Holy Hour each month, a theme that gives teens the points to ponder that moms and dads wish they could say? Each month would have a few reflection questions centered around this theme. Maybe this month it pertains more to this kid, and the next month to that kid, and the following month it pertains more (gulp) to me.

It happens that I’m on staff at our parish as a part-time “Marriage and Family Support Coordinator.” This is marriage and family support that I could coordinate! And so Family Holy Hour meditation guides were born. While at first I pictured a basket with basic reflection questions, soon it became age-appropriate pamphlets complete with Scripture, a short commentary, reflection questions, time to listen, and a space for “this month’s resolution.”

Download the free Family Holy Hour guide

The guides have been personally helpful to write, forcing me to think more deeply about a topic and to apply it to myself, and they’ve been well-received at my parish. My first one was on “the Word” (and our words). My next one is on “Being Loved,” and I have “Humility” and “Gratitude” in the hopper.

Feel free to print these out (they are tri-fold pamphlets) and say to your family casually while on your way to a Holy Hour, “Oh, I found these Holy Hour meditation guides online and thought I’d give the one for adults a try. Why don’t you look at the one for your age and see what you think?” [wink wink].

Jesus, do your thing! Which is, of course, to make us saints!